 |
|
Organized by Kyoto National Museum, Kongôbu-ji
Temple (Shingon Sect Headquarter on Mount Kôya), and the
Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Properties on Mount Kôya
Sponsored by NHK Kyoto Broadcasting and NHK
Kinki Media Plan
Exhibition Dates: Tuesday, April 4 to Sunday, May 25, 2003
Special Exhibition Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
(Fridays opened until 8 p.m.; last entry thirty minutes before closing)
Closed on April 21 (Mon.), May 6 (Tues.), May 12 (Mon.), and May 19 (Mon.)
Exhibition Place: Main Exhibition Hall, Kyoto National Museum |
|
|
| This spring, the Kyoto National Museum has organized a special
exhibition of treasures from Mount Kôya, under the catch copy,
“The scared mountain descended in its entirety!” To commemorate
the 1,200-year anniversary of the voyage to Tang-dynasty China by
the Shingon Buddhist master Kôbô Daishi Kûkai (774-835), this
exhibition examines the significance of Kûkai and Mt. Kôya through
five themes: Kûkai and the History of Mt. Kôya; Kûkai's Vision and
the Esoteric Buddhism; Syncretism and Art on Mt. Kôya; The
Repository on the Mountain; and Mt. Kôya in the Early Modern
Period. Displayed for the first time outside Mt. Kôya are its
Three Great Treasures, closely connected to the esoteric master: Rôkoshiiki* (Discourse on Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism),
Buddhas in Portable Altar*, and the Flying Three-Pronged Vajra**. |
| In 797, Kûkai, age 24, wrote Rôkoshiiki*, a discussion by a Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist, who explain the essence of their respective beliefs. At the end, the Confucian and Daoist are impressed by the teachings of Buddhism. The sentences, written in four-and-six character verses, demonstrate the young master's calligraphic skills. Especially noteworthy is the attention given to the brush technique. Kûkai's calligraphy, written on paper with vertical laidlines, continues to be a model in kanji studies. |
| Upon his departure from China, Kûkai
received the Buddhas in Portable Altar* from his Chinese master
Huiguo (746-805). According to tradition, this miniature altar was
transmitted across three countries, from the Indian master
Vajrabodhi (d. 741) to Amoghavajra (705-774) to Huiguo, then to
Kûkai. Measuring approximately 23 cm in height, this sandalwood
altar has two doors that open out. Bodhisattvas, monastics, and
guardians surround the triad of Buddhas sitting in each of the
three alcoves. |
| The rarely exhibited Flying Three-Pronged
Vajra** is said to have chosen Mt. Kôya as the transmission
grounds for esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Tradition has it that
Kûkai threw this ritual utensil from Mingshou, China before
returning to Japan. The vajra then flew to Japan and got caught in
a pine tree on Mt. Kôya, thereby establishing this sacred site. |
| Many more masterworks will also be shown,
including: the paintings The Buddha's Parinivana* (shown from
April 15 to May 5), the Descent of Amida and the Heavenly
Multitude* (May 7 to 25), and four from a set of ten Landscape and
Figures* by Ike Taiga (1723-76); the sculptures Eight Acolytes of
Fudô Myôô* by Unkei and the Peacock Myôô** by Kaikei; in
calligraphy, the Issaikyô Sutras in Gold and Silver Lettering*,
also known as the Chûson-ji Sutras and letters by the shogun
Minamoto Yoritomo (1147-99) from the compendium of writings from
Mount Kôya, Hôkanshû*; and in applied arts, esoteric ritual
implements and the Small Footed Chest with Plovers and Marsh in
Mother-of-Pearl Inlay and Makie*. The entire mountain has truly
come down. |
| This exhibition will also be shown at the
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art this autumn, at Tokyo National
Museum next spring, and at Wakayama National Museum the following
autumn. Thereafter, 154 works, including 21 National Treasures and
101 Important Cultural Properties, will be exhibited at the Miho
Museum, bringing together yet another phenomenal show. |
| Note: * indicates objects designated National Treasures; **
refers to Important Cultural Properties. |
|
Eikei AKAO
Chair, Department of Conservation Administration, Kyoto
National Museum
|
|
